Laura E. Migliorino
Invitational Artist in Residence - November
Bassano Reads Shakespeare
For many, Shakespeare is considered the most illustrious and fabled writer in the English language history. There are of course many great writers in English, but Shakespeare causes people to weep, and bellow with pride for he is unrivaled. But dare mention the idea that maybe he did not exclusively write everything attributed to him, maybe others wrote and put his name on the document. We know that Ben Johnson, Christopher Marlowe, and other playwriters of the period wrote over each other’s scripts. We know the life of the theatre then was just above the gutter and seen as dubious and vulgar. There are many names that float around as ghost writers during Shakespeare’s time, needing someone to lend their name for publishing. Women and royals were not allowed to publish, and Edward de Vere’s name is often mentioned as a royal who published using Shakespeare’s name. For Stratfordians the idea is heinous but this is not a new conversation the rumors have been circulating for centuries.
One name that comes up is a woman named Aemelia Bassano Lanier and she is the focus of the installation Bassano Reads Shakespeare. The installation artwork explores a variety of strange and unique coincidences in the lives of Bassono Lanier and Shakespeare, curiosities that are not easily explained. In the work I pose questions and listen for answers, but I also want to give agency and voice to Bassano Lanier beyond her relationship with Shakespeare. She is one of many women who succeeded in life against so many obstacles and boldly asked society to give her, her due. She is the first woman to publish a book in England, but she is not a household name. I hope Bassano Reads Shakespeare helps change that.
Open Studio: Visit Laura in Residence
15th November 2025
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Visit Laura Migliorino’s Open Studio to see her progress at the midway point of her month-long Invitational Artist Residency at RuptureXIBIT.
Get a behind-the-scenes view of her latest installation, Bassano Reads Shakespeare, and meet the artist in person.
4:15 PM – 5:30 PM
The Long Game: Sustaining a Creative Practice
A conversation between Laura Migliorino and Pamela Golden.
Please join Rupture Exhibit resident Laura Migliorino and lifelong friend artist Pamela Golden for a conversation on sustaining a creative practice for decades. Migliorino's current retrospective on exhibit in Minneapolis, Minnesota celebrates 50 years of art making. Goldenan accomplished artist and RCA educator has a 50 year creative practice exhibiting worldwide. Pam and Laura met when they were 11 years old, while growing up in Chicagoover decades they have created work, and shared a life long friendship.
Nov 29, 2025 – Nov 30, 2025
Queer Feminist Utopia
Open Studios - Featuring Artist in Residence, Laura Migliorino and Resident Artists Kate Howe & Sally Minns
Saturday & Sunday 12-5pm
Jazz Salon with Performance and Spoken Word
Performances and Readings from invited artists 5-7pm
Live Jazz 7-9pm
Bio
Migliorino was born in Cleveland and grew up in a Chicago suburb. Migliorino’s BFA is from The Art Institute of Chicago and MFA is from the University of Minnesota. She teaches Anoka-Ramsey College near Minneapolis, where she lives with her wife and two Chihuahuas. Migliorino has received Jerome Foundation grants, Minnesota State Arts Board grants, and various exhibition prizes. Migliorino was an Affiliated Fellow at The American Academy in Rome, and a Fulbright Scholar at The British Library in 2022.
Her work is in the collections of the Walker Art Center, Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, The Minnesota Center for Book Arts and The Warehouse in Atlanta. She has exhibited for over 30 years, and work has been featured in the Huffington Post, DOMUS Magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The News Hour, and DWELL. She has exhibited in London, Rome, Minneapolis, New York City, Los Angeles, Sardinia, Chicago, and Michigan. Her most recent project is Chapter V of her ongoing series The Hidden Life of Books. Chapter V Banned & Burned explores the history of book banning through books checked out of her local library.